


Echoing Silence

by KJ99



Category: One Day at a Time (TV 2017)
Genre: Avery - Freeform, Beautiful, F/F, F/M, Heart-Felt, Inspired by Music, Leslie - Freeform, Pain, Penelope - Freeform, Sadness, Schneider - Freeform, Silence, Sylena, different, lydia - Freeform, max - Freeform, nora - Freeform, one day at a time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:54:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23614819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KJ99/pseuds/KJ99
Summary: Disclaimer; I do not own anything to do with One Day At A TimePlot: The Sound of Silence is ringing throughoutEdit: Through a helper reader and friend of mine. They helped me see an error in a pronoun for Syd. I'm annoyed at myself but have now changed it.Enjoy ~KJ99
Relationships: Alex Alvarez/Nora, Avery/Schneider (One Day at a Time), Elena Alvarez/Syd, Leslie Berkowitz/Lydia Riera, Penelope Alvarez/Max
Kudos: 11





	Echoing Silence

~ Echoing Silence ~

Standing on the rooftop, late at night. Schneider sang thinking no one was listening to him.

Schneider: "Hello darkness, my old friend. I've come to talk with you again." Schneider bowed his head in shame of being back here again, how could he have let himself slide. Why did he let himself slide? Schneider thinks I should be stronger.

Schneider continues to sing, the pain evident in his voice and on his face.

Schneider: "Because a vision softly creeping, left its while I was sleeping and the vision that was planted in my brain." Memories of Alex, a young boy who lives in his building hiding him in the laundry mat with no pants on, not sober haunt Schneider's mind.

But, Schneider continues to sing, to the echo that is the night sky.

Schneider: "Still remains. Within the sound of silence." The word silence is immediately followed by silence of its own. There's nothing really left to say. So, Schneider turns and goes back inside.

Snapping up in a panicked state, Penelope takes two deep calming breaths and tries to forget, but truly there is no escape from the mind. So, Penelope sang the silent thoughts of her mind.

Penelope: "In restless dreams I walk alone." Memories of standing in the hot desert moon filled light take over Penelope's brain. A sound in the distances rings through her ears and nothing could ever match that sound ever again.

With determination Penelope stands from her bed and goes out to the window, the fire escapes. Penelope hopes to escape out there but the distance sounds bring it all back, but was it ever really gone. Penelope sings the silent thoughts as she faces the country she loves and swore to protect.

Penelope: "Narrow streets of cobblestone, neath the halo of a street lamp. I turned my collar to the cold and damp." At the flashing of the street lamp, Penelope reminds of a time when it was cold, damp and dark. There was no street light there just darkness, the kind of darkness that latches on and can never be ridden from one's self.

Looking above to the skies, Penelope searches for the one guiding light in her life. The ones who were there with her, who know but aren't here today and now sing for their owner.

Penelope: "When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of neon light, that split the night and touched the sound of silence." Silence rang out, there was no traffic, there was no wind, just the dead of night silence. Penelope closed her eyes as she wiped away the two fallen tears before turning back into her room, climbing back into her bed and let the silence eventually take her. Penelope knew deep down that there was nothing more she could have done then or now, she did what was asked and expected of her.

Hearing the voice above her and her Mum's word, Elena sat in the dark of night. Trying to understand what her Mum was going through, but she'd never know. No one ever would, unless they had gone there themselves. Elena sighed feeling useless as ever and started singing where her Mum had left off.

Elena: "And in the naked light I saw, ten thousand people, maybe more." Elena always found it hard watching people go about their days like nothing had happened. Like her Mum hasn't received an injured shoulder from her time in the army. Like both her Dad and Mum were suffering with PTSD, that didn't register on people's mind and that pissed Elena off to an existent.

Still unable to really understand herself, Elena continued to sing into the night air.

Elena: "People talking without speaking, people hearing without listening." Elena understood she was an angry person but she had a lot to be angry at with the world. Not only with her parents' situation but with her own as well. Elena had felt and seen the prejudice people had towards her, and all because she wanted to love some of the same-sex or non-binary. Elena heard what was said at school about her, she heard the rumours and the lies spread throughout. But truly, Elena didn't care because she was the lucky one. While Elena knew this, it didn't mean it wasn't hard. It would be nice to have one friend at high school, or even a lab-partner. Everyone refused to pair up with her, ever since she came out and then brought Syd to the dance.

Punching the railing next to her, Elena stood up in a huff looking down at the world around her and sang out in anger.

Elena: "People writing songs that voices never share and no one dares. Disturb the sound of silence." Elena sighed shaking her head because she knew this didn't change anything, this was just what her life was. With a slight reassurance that life was what it was, Elena climbed back into her bedroom and tried to calm her ever moving brain to get some form of sleep.

Sitting in his room, he didn't know what to do. Does he just sit there? Does he go to his sister or mother's aid? He never knew or could understand the pain his mother and sister faced. While he was grateful he'd never been in those positions, it sadden him that the people closest to him and around him had to face it every single day. So, Alex sang in solidarity for his sister and Mother.

Alex: "Fools, '' said I, "You do not know, silence like a cancer grows." The silence of his own thoughts echoed throughout his mind. He wished he wasn't so young, he wished the world was different and he wished most of all he could know what to do. What do you do when the people around you are in their own silent pain, every single day? What could he possibly do to help?

Looking down in his own shame of feeling useless, Alex continues to sing into his darkened bedroom.

Alex: "Hear my words that I might teach you, take my arms that I might reach." Alex was going to do his best tomorrow and every other tomorrow to reach his arms out for his sister, and for his mother. Making sure they knew he was here, because he wasn't leaving any of them anytime soon.

With optimism in his voice Alex continued to sing.

Alex: "But my words like silent raindrops fell and echoed, in the wells of silence." In the silence he prayed that everything would work out in the end, that someone would give him a guiding hand in knowing what the right thing to say or do in this time was. Alex settled back down into his bed with the optimism filling his silenced mind.

Oh, Berto. How do I help them? Lydia thought alone in the kitchen. Having heard her daughters, grand-daughters and grand-son silent omissions to themselves. Lydia had never felt more guilty for overhearing thought more so then she did now. Lydia did the one thing she knew her Berto would suggest, she sang her feelings out.

Lydia: "And the people bowed and prayed to the neon god they made, and the sign flashed out its warning." Lydia could feel the presents of her husband standing behind her, whispering "You know what you have to do. Just be there for them. You can't fix everything but you can be there for them." His words rung out in her mind. Lydia turned to see him, only to be met with an empty kitchen.

Walking down the hallway, Lydia placed her palm against her grandchildren and eventually her daughter's bedrooms wishing she could just take their pain away from them and take it on themselves. But, she knew that couldn't happen. So with that, she sang.

Lydia: "In the words that it was forming. And the sign said, "The words of prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls." While it hurt Lydia's heart deeply to not be able to enter each of her familia's rooms to comfort them. Lydia knew deep down they needed time alone, this was a time when she couldn't invade their space. Lydia sadly turned around and went back to her makeshift living room bedroom and hoped the next day would bring some positivity.

Avery had heard Schneider singing up on the roof, from the window. She knew the regret he had through relapsing and doing everything he did while drunk. Even after telling him, Schneider would apologise every single day to her for what he did, when he broke up with her. As Schneider walked into their shared bedroom, Avery did the one thing she knew she could to help. Avery held out her hand to him, which he took and they both rested in bed together. Schneider laid his head to rest upon Avery's heart listening to the beat.

Avery then sung to Schneider slowly tiring body "And whisper'd in the sound of silence." Avery gently ran her fingers through Schneider's hair and it wasn't long before he drifted off to sleep, with no worries on his mind.

Max was surprised when his phone had rung, he bung to worry but calmed when Penelope did from hearing his voice. Max knew the struggles Penelope has faced since returning from there, he had the same struggles and knew what she was feeling. So, Max did what he could to comfort her.

Before he sung something that shocked her "And whisper'd in the sound of silence." While Penelope didn't know how Max knew, he knew she was glad he did and while on his break during a double shift he helped Penelope fall asleep. With the promise of bringing breakfast the following day.

Syd was awoken by their phone at three in the morning. They wanted nothing more than to yell at the person for ring at this time, and to pick a more appropriate time, next time. But their voice stilled when they heard the sounds of their girlfriend's cries. Syd allowed Elena just to talk and talk, and talk until all her emotions were out. Syd then reassured Elena that it was okay, that they were glad Elena ran rather than just stewing over this all night and not getting anymore rest.

Syd then sung hoping this would calm Elena "And whisper'd in the sound of silence." Syd laughed when they were met with the sounds of Elena's snoring. They weren't even the slightest bit upset that Elena had fallen asleep, knowing after an emotional talk like that Elena just needed the rest. Syd whispered a small love you into the phone before going back to sleep themselves to the sound of Elena's light snores, and mumbles.

To say Nora was shocked when she received an 'U up' message for Alex was an understatement. He wasn't the type of guy to message something like that, she knew it and was one of the reasons why she had agreed to dating him because he wasn't like the rest. When Nora messaged back saying she in fact was awake. This led them down the path of long winded text messages on Alex's part and Nora just allowing him to vent. She knew about the struggles his family, the women in his life faced and how that effect Alex. It was actually sweet to see how much he cared. When Alex sent, 'So that's basically it.' Nora knew that was his way of wanting to finish this conversation and get some sleep.

Nora texted back "And whisper'd in the sound of silence." There was no reply which Nora had been expecting from Alex, who was mostly likely already back to sleep.

Leslie sat in the dark in his bedroom, saddened he had no way of reaching out to Lydia at this time of night to comfort her. When Leslie received the message from Avery, in the shared group chat called 'Alvarez support team' and what they were to say. Leslie wanted nothing more than to ring Lydia but he couldn't. It was far too late and Lydia didn't know how to operate the text messaging.

Sighing to himself feeling like he was letting the team down, Leslie sung to himself in the hopes it would reach Lydia across town "And whisper'd in the sound of silence."

Silence proceeds to feel the Alvarez home, Schneider's apartment and the rest of the city where the support team lay because finally the Alvarez family had gone to sleep with the hope in all of their minds; tomorrow would be better.

The End.


End file.
